HPMRS RAILDATE 19 Jun 09

News

RAILDATE: the weekly newsletter of the Hursley Park Model Railway =20 Society: http://www.ibmhursleyclub.org.uk/ss/hpmrs/

NETWATCH

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The talk by Andrew Martin, author of the Jim Stringer "Railway =20 Detective", novels due to be held at Winchester Discovery Centre on 8th July has had to be CANCELLED. It is hoped that it can be rearranged for later in the year.

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I'm pleased to say that there is a link to Raildate from Railway Eye - =20=

the railway blog. So I'm delighted to mention it again: http://railwayeye.blogspot.com/ (Spotter: Ralph Rawlinson)

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No less than 141 films of the Southern Railway/Region here: http://www.youtube.com/user/SouthernRailwayFilms

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WW2 weekend at the Great Central Railway parts 1 and 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DIGr2i-w5pic (Spotter: Ted Millward)

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The National Preservation Forum: http://railways.national-preservation.com/index.php (Spotter: David Moore)

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Waggonways in North East England: http://sites.google.com/site/waggonways/

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Referring to last week's item on Ireland's Western Rail Corridor, =20 Richard Maund hears that the target for the [Limerick-] Ennis-Athenry [-Galway] reopening is September, but that November is more likely. Also, Glounthaune (formerly Cobh Jn) to Midleton should reopen at the end of July (definite date not yet certain).

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=46rom Kent Enthusiast Group... The so-called "T Cup" service will be trialled over the weekends of 27th and 28th June and 4th and 5th of July. (Hammersmith-Edgware Rd-Tower =20=

Hill -Ken High St-Edgware Road and return.) (Spotter: Neil Kearns)

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Ralph Rawlinson's Railway Roundup

Havant: Agreement still needs to be reached over the future of the grade II =20 listed box at Havant. Because of its proximity to the live rail, NR is =20 reluctant to see it converted into a museum.

Mayfield: It appears that reports that the DfT are exploring ways of increasing Manchester Piccadilly's capacity by reopening Mayfield has not =20 percolated through to other parts of the government. "Rail" magazine reports that several government departments have agreed to fund a study into clearing the site of the old station to create a vast new office complex, =20 bringing together functions scattered over the city and moving 6,000 jobs out of London by 2014.

London Underground: Trials of the extended Circle Line service will take place over the weekends of 27/28 June and 4/5 July 2009. Trains will operate =20 Hammersmith- Kings Cross, and clockwise around the Circle Line to terminate at =20 Edgware Road returning anti-clockwise via the same route. http://tinyurl.com/b2cctw

Peterborough Call for cameras to be installed at Helpston, a notorious level crossing five miles north of Peterborough on the ECML, to catch risk-takers who dodge barriers and jump red lights. http://tinyurl.com/ox53vb

Leeds A proposed trolley bus system is being developed in Leeds as part of the New Generation Transport project: http://www.ngtmetro.com/proposals/ Between Thursday 18th June and Saturday 18th July, Metro and Leeds City Council will be holding a series of road shows: http://www.wymetro.com/news/releases/NGTRoadshows.htm Public consultation has begun on the proposed station at Apperley Bridge on the electrified Leeds-Shipley line: http://tinyurl.com/nal9d6 Similar consultations will also start soon on three other railway =20 projects in the Leeds area: new stations at Leeds Parkway and Kirkstall Forge =20 and a new south entrance at Leeds station. Meanwhile Bridgepoint Capital, the new owner of Leeds-Bradford Airport, has offered to provide land for a =20=

new tram-train link to/from Leeds.

Porthmadog: The map included in the BBC site: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/8093240.stm giving details of the Porthmadog bypass (Raildate 12th June 2009) was =20=

too small to see any detail. For one that can be enlarged to show the =20 bridge over the Welsh Highland line visit: http://tinyurl.com/lb7vft

Bath: Bath & North East Somerset Council's plans to convert the final two =20 miles of the former MR's Bristol-Bath line for a bus rapid transit have been officially deferred. They were not convinced that it would =20 significantly reduce congestion or pollution.

Kenya/Uganda Trade between Kenya and Uganda is set to increase significantly in the next few years after the two countries agreed to construct a railway =20 line linking Mombasa to Kampala. http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/-/2558/610814/-/r2hev3z/-/

Ethiopia The Ethiopian government has confirmed it plans to build an extensive railway system, despite some of the world's most challenging terrain. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/8099698.stm

Saudi Arabia The state-owned Saudi Railway Company expects to award contracts this year for a 1,500 mile railway connecting mines to industrial plants on the Gulf coast. This north-south line will carry minerals from the Al-Jalamid and Al-Zabirah mines in the north to the industrial city of =20=

Ras Al-Zour and operate a passenger and freight train between Riyadh and Al-Haditha on the Jordanian border. http://www.gulfbase.com/site/interface/NewsArchiveDetails.aspx?n=3D96093

India The longest railway platform in the world (1,072 metres, or 3,538 =20 feet) is now at Kharagpur, West Bengal: = http://incredblindia.blogspot.com/2009/06/kharagpur-worlds-longest-railway= html

Chicago's State Street subway station previously had the longest at 3,500ft. On BR it used to be the 2,194ft platform 11 between Manchester Victoria and Exchange (now Victoria's much reduced platform 3) but at present Gloucester holds the record with 1,977ft.

China Work has started on a 224-mile railway from Hami Prefecture on the =20 China- Mongolia border to Lop Nur in northwestern Xinjiang near China's largest desert, the Taklamakan. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-06/17/content_11555714.htm

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IN THE NEWS

Operators call for new rail lines: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/8099912.stm http://tinyurl.com/n8slh9

Full report - "Connecting Communities": http://www.atoc.org/general/ConnectingCommunitiesReport_S10.pdf Email your thoughts by 31st July to: russ.cunningham@atoc.org

Rail lines that connected communities: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8100961.stm

Old stations on the BBC website: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/8102971.stm

60163 Tornado on Top Gear (this Sunday, repeated on Friday): http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/8106414.stm

Class 395 Javelin units in operation: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8106398.stm

Derailment at Broad Green, Liverpool: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/merseyside/8096509.stm

RAIB report on collision of passenger train at Acton West: http://tinyurl.com/mpk72u

Licence changes to Eden Valley Railway: http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/upload/pdf/statnot-EdenValley.pdf

Alloa line noise complaints: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/tayside_and_central/8094924.stm

Ayr-Stranraer regeneration study: http://tinyurl.com/nak2qp

Snowdon Summit caf=E9 opened: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/north_west/8095531.stm http://www.snowdonrailway.co.uk/

British Library puts 2 million pages from 19th century newspapers =20 online: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8104099.stm http://newspapers.bl.uk/blcs/

MBE for West Somerset volunteer: http://tinyurl.com/lxnsax http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/somerset/8097850.stm

W8 Freshwater returned to traffic: http://tinyurl.com/lxxwps

NRM acquires the Forsythe Collection: http://forsytheonthenrm.blogspot.com/

Irish Rail in Iran: http://tinyurl.com/lujsp7

DfT announcement of investment in Blackpool Trams: http://tinyurl.com/loh6qc

Vulcan bomber flying again: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/leicestershire/8099679.stm

Spotters: Richard Buckby, Neil Kearns, Richard Maund, Reg Nerps

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